Nielsen’s Media Pulse Study Looks at Women and Multicultural Consumers’ Media Behaviors

Nielsen has just released the results of a Media Pulse study that examines women and multicultural consumers’ mobile media behaviors – how they’re using technology and how it compares to the country at large.

Here are the key highlights for Women:

• Women spend 6% more time using apps and the web on tablets and more time using handheld platforms for app/web usage than their male counterparts.
• They are also more likely to utilize mobile devices for social networking than users overall.
• Because of their mobile usage, they also tend to place more importance on the features and performance of their handheld devices than men.
• Women spend 16% more time with video-focused apps/websites and 17% more time with streaming audio on tablets than all tablet users. In contrast, adult men spend far less time using tablets than the same overall base.

Highlights for Multicultural Consumers include:

• Black, Hispanic and Asian American adults each spend more time per day using apps/the web on their smartphones than the general U.S. population. African Americans in particular are heavier users of smartphones and spend nearly half an hour more per day using them than the total U.S. (and more than any other group).
• The three measured groups have comparable tablet usage and app/web tablet behaviors with all three involved in over half an hour of usage per day.
• Well known for their early adoption of newer tech, Asian Americans represent a growing consumer bloc with their own unique audience behaviors. They spend at least 45 minutes per day using a tablet, outpacing all other groups as well as the total U.S.

As the U.S. increasing becomes more diverse and multi-cultural, advertisers and programmers need to keep on top of the emerging trends with these groups. While women drive content consumption on smartphones and tablets, Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans spend more time per day using apps/the web on their smartphones than the general U.S. population. Understanding the unique user preferences is important to connecting with these audiences.

This article first appeared in Cynopsis.

The Future of Women in Technology. Interview with Deborah Wahl

Gender discrimination and pay disparity is a hot topic in today’s workplace. Related to that discussion is the representation of women in the STEM fields. Deborah Wahl, CMO, Data Driven Innovator, is known for developing the "Agency of the Future" model, merging talent and technology with digital, data and human intelligence.

She was a marketing professional in the car business (Ford of Brasil, Lincoln, Mazda, Toyota, Lexus) rising to CMO at Chrysler before moving to McDonald’s USA.  “I’m focused on technology because I believe it is necessary for every marketer to understand. .. the transformation with technology - how to use it to get closer to and more engaged with my target consumers,” she stated, “We all need to think like a CTO.” 

I sat down with Wahl and spoke to her about the status of women in the industry and the importance of diversity. 

Charlene Weisler: What are the biggest challenges in assuring company diversity today?

Deborah Wahl: To be successful, we must continue to nurture a diverse pipeline, starting at the beginning, which is why I support initiatives like the ANA’s Talent Forward Alliance with the twin goals of inspiring and elevating the quality of talent from the university system and building skills for existing employees.  Second, we need to stay purposeful and relentless about breaking down stereotypes of what types of people succeed and supporting diverse talent.  My biggest fear is that high performing diverse talent will be fed up with the slow progress in our industry and go elsewhere.  We need to act now.  

Weisler: A study from the 1960s concluded that the best technologists were disinterested in people and disliked activities involving close personal interaction. This led to more men being hired for tech positions at the expense of women. Do you think that this is still the case today? 

Wahl: Unfortunately, yes.  That’s what I mean by breaking down stereotypes and opening ourselves up to talent.  Campaigns like GE’s Female Scientists and State Street’s Fearless Girl are just what’s needed.  Study after study shows unconscious bias exists throughout our culture.  We need to hammer at it and use every tool to change perceptions.  The payoff- campaigns that have high GEM qualified ads increase sales by 50%. (Gender Equality Measure that scores ads or entertainment on how prominently they depict women) And, we desperately need diversity in this space to create better solutions.  

Weisler: What are the biggest challenges for women in technology today?

Wahl: I’ve worked in some very male dominated businesses like Automotive and Homebuilding.  The challenge for women in tech is the same - building networks, being heard, overcoming the cultural walls.  Success comes when women support each other and that their networks can be as effective as any other.  We also need purposeful action.  As an example, conference curators need to be purposeful about what speakers they choose so that a variety of thought and role models is represented.  

Weisler: Gender discrimination is more than harassment. Pay disparity impacts a woman's earning power through her career. What can be done about this?

Wahl: First, we each have a responsibility to resolve this.  I made it a priority in each of my positions.  Second, the issues are related to what we discussed above - the unconscious bias and stereotypes that too often determine who gets promoted and how they are valued.  Transparency is the first step.  We can’t fix what we don’t look at and talk about.  “Pay secrecy is one of the things that continues to pay discrimination and the wage gap” Maya Raghu, director of workplace equality and senior counsel at the Nation Women’s Law Center.  I’d say silence is at the root of a lot of our diversity issues.

Weisler: Give me some predictions of the future for women in technology in the next five years.

Wahl: I’m very hopeful.  There’s a big effort to change our stereotypes and make technology expected and accessible for everyone.  But this doesn’t mean it will be easy.  For every man and women who believes that a diverse workforce makes us more competitive, productive and successful, we each need to do our part every day.  Speak up, encourage, see things differently and take action. 

This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com
 

Advancing Women in Research – Q&A with Kristin Luck

Kristin Luck of Kristin Luck consulting has a deep history in research. She was one of the original pioneers of multi-media online research when she joined Nielsen to develop proprietary capabilities. In 2000 she left Nielsen to co-found OTX (Online Testing Exchange) where she drove strategy and operations. 

Like many of us, Kristin’s career path to research came from an unlikely source. She majored in Journalism in college with an emphasis on Public Relations. But, as she explains, “my training in PR allowed me to bring really solid writing and storytelling skills to my research practice. At the end of the day, a researcher is a storyteller. It’s our job to take masses of data and translate that into something meaningful that can deliver actionable results for clients.”

Luck launched Women in Research (WIRe) as an informal industry group in 2007. It has evolved into a global enterprise hosting events twice annually in 10 cities and supporting a one to one mentoring program, a monthly online business Q&A and a webinar series. She says, “I believe that women play a more important role than ever in our growing global economy, with 85% of all brand purchases today made by women. Yet, incredibly, only 3% of advertising agency creative directors are women. The future of successful brands (and successful research) is female informed. Women are key drivers of economic success; both in the board room (female led companies are 15% more likely to be profitable) and in the home but routinely remain an afterthought to both marketers and researchers.”

The statistics she relays are staggering, “Although women provide the muscle behind more than half of all research conducted today, less than 10% of the Honomichl 25 largest research firms have a woman at the helm. I believe that women burn with the same ambition that men do to change the world and build successful businesses and I see more and more of my female counterparts striking out to do just that – but we still have work to do, and that’s why I’m so passionate about my work with WIRe.”

 

CW: How has the field of research changed since you first started - if at all?

KL: Marketing research has been subject to the same technological advances that have transformed just about every other industry. The advent of the internet, mobile and the proliferation of content across platforms, means researchers are more challenged than ever to engage consumers. There’s also a lot more to measure! When I started my career in 1996, all brands cared about were the ROI of their television ads. Now that’s the least of their concerns. Determining the effectiveness of an advertising channel or providing meaningful guidance to our clients about which media are delivering the most impact changes daily with the proliferation of new content sources. It’s an exciting time to be a researcher!

CW: What have been some of your challenges in your career and how did you overcome them?

KL: I think the biggest challenge, and also the biggest “a-ha” moment has been learning to play to my strengths.  I was brought up in the generation of “practice makes perfect” so I think I spent a lot of time early in my career doing things I didn’t particularly enjoy because I felt “well, that’s what you do to make a living as a researcher”. What I realized over time is that what I really loved, what I was really good at was selling and marketing research. What I didn’t love was sitting at my desk all day, elbow deep in data, writing reports. And once I realized that, my career took a total pivot and I was not just more successful but infinitely happier.

CW: What advice can you give to women who are currently working in the research field?

KL: Don’t overanalyze the future. Dig in, work on what excites and energizes you and stay that course. I didn’t spend much time in my career thinking “I want to make VP by age 30” or “I really want to start this business but I’m not sure it’s going to work” or  “I want to have kids by 35 so maybe I shouldn’t ask for that promotion”. As it turns out I made VP at 26, built and ran (and sold) several super successful companies and still haven’t managed to find the time to have kids. But I’ve had an amazing ride because I just dug in and made it happen.

CW: What advice would you give students regarding a career in research and data?

KL: I’m always thrilled when I speak to students that are interested in pursuing a research career because it’s such an exciting time for data wonks. As marketers, we’re absolutely inundated with data, which presents so many opportunities for young researchers who are media and data savvy. My advice would be to give yourself permission to reject how researchers have traditionally worked with data and explore opportunities using new tools, techniques and data sources to deliver more meaningful insights. A few years ago I met a guy (Nick Drewe) at an event in Sydney who, with no formal research training, had managed to predict Australia’s Hot 100 music countdown using only open source social media data- an absolutely brilliant example of what you can do with a lot of data and a little creativity.

CW: Let's talk about your philosophy regarding data. How pivotal a role is data? Isn't it just a supportive function? How do you de-silo datasets? How do you decide what is good data (for correct decision-making) and which data is superfluous or even misleading?

KL: If you pay close attention (data is) literally everywhere. What’s “good” data and what’s “bad” is the subject of much debate in the research industry today. A few weeks ago Networked Insights (one of the speakers at the Crossroads Big Data Event) highlighted their research which attached a movie studio box office value on Twitter posts. I posted the article online and it prompted a fierce debate among some of the best known theatrical researchers in the business. There are a lot of differing opinions on the value of certain types of data and the utilization of primary versus secondary data.

CW: Tell me about the Big Data conference.

KL: The Crossroads Big Data Event is on May 14 in Manhattan (www.surveyevents.com). I’m thrilled to serve as conference chair and I’m honored to have been able to collaborate with industry leaders and innovators in the big data space, including LG, AOL, Pandora and Mammut. As conference chair, I was also really committed to making sure we have a diverse speaker lineup. I think we’re the first big data conference in history to feature two female keynotes (Leslie Bradshaw of Made by Many and Inmar Givoni of Kobo) and nearly a 50/50 gender split across all presenters. In one day, we’ll be covering big data topics including machine learning, text analytics, mobile, virtual reality, the quantified self and social media predictive analytics. We also have THE marketing measurement industry thought leaders, including Gian Fulgoni (comScore), text analytics guru Tom Anderson (Anderson Analytics), Lauren Moores (dstillery) and Pranav Yadav of Neuro-Insight. It’s an unparalleled line up of brands and data wonks, making Crossroads THE big data event of the year.